Wild cultivation begins with wielding the Taiyin talisman.

The sharp wind howled in his ears, and Ning Che's heart pounded so hard his chest tightened. He could almost smell the metallic scent emanating from the iron-feathered sparrow's wings. Zhao Di ripped the sweat from her face and screamed in anguish, "Run! It's a demon!"

He paid no heed and moved without turning his feet, but the birds were too fast; his eyesight was no longer sufficient to capture the details of their movements. In an instant, a sharp beak, gleaming with a cold light, seemed to be pressed against the back of Zhao Di's head.

Is it too late?

In a flash, Ning Che's mind exploded, and forgotten memories crashed into his thoughts. Without time to think, he gripped the money pouch tightly, threw it violently, and roared, "Hands on your head and get down!"

Zhao Di lay down without the slightest hesitation, but her posture was a bit strange: her left hand was placed in front of her forehead, while her right hand was protecting the cloth bag at her waist.

Almost simultaneously, the money pouch flew past her temple and slammed heavily onto the wing of the swooping iron-feathered sparrow. The sparrow cried out in agony, its wing bones breaking, and it fell sideways.

Before it could land, Ning Che had already caught up, raised his foot and crushed it hard, burying the still fluttering sparrow's body into the mud!

Even the fiercest birds of prey were stunned by this scene. Most of them struggled to turn around and try to get away from the dangerous human—but one did not turn back.

It was much larger than its kind, with a wingspan of about one and a half meters. With a loud cry, its black, sharp claws were extended.

Zhao Di turned around sharply at the sound, only to see crimson light splashing down, smearing Ning Che's well-defined muscles like paint. He remained in his charging posture, like a fierce tiger guarding its territory, crouching and gathering its strength, head slightly raised, facing the swooping, attacking sparrow demon with its iron feathers like blades, showing no sign of yielding.

Even though she couldn't see his face clearly, Zhao Di could imagine how captivating his eyes were and how resolute and fierce his expression was.

She suddenly wanted to learn some painting skills, because this scene was worth remembering and depicting for a lifetime.

Imagination is just imagination. Ning Che's expression was actually one of gritted teeth and wide-open eyes, and the action he was about to take was not like that.

If he could, he would have rolled on the ground, even in a sorry state, to avoid this attack. Unfortunately, even though he had calculated how to dodge and even thought about how to counterattack, his body couldn't keep up with his thoughts.

The moonlight shone through the layers of trees at that moment, like a reminder.

Ning Che immediately focused his mind and tried to activate the Dao talisman.

He had just promised Shi Ying not to take any risks, and now he was going to break his promise as soon as he stepped out the door. He wasn't even sure if he could cast the spell, yet he was already risking his life on it.

He won his gamble again.

He felt almost no strain; his thoughts rippled across the Iron Feather Sparrow Demon's body. The previously ferocious monster immediately retracted its claws and teeth, landing on the ground and bowing its head obsequiously, as if paying homage to its king.

In that instant, Zhao Di almost thought that even such a ferocious demon had been subdued by the heroic young man before her. But such a plot from a folk tale was ultimately no longer suitable for her, who was already taking on household chores at such a young age.

She got up, brushing the dust off herself, and asked in a surprised tone, "You've become a cultivator? What kind of magic is this?"

Ning Che did not answer, but focused his mind again, trying to order the Iron Feather Sparrow Demon to leave.

The Dao talisman flickered according to his will, condensing into a barely perceptible stream of light that flew out from his eyes and entered the head of the Iron Feather Sparrow Demon.

It took off, circled once, and then disappeared into the distance.

Ning Che's tense muscles and nerves finally relaxed, and he felt a little dizzy for a moment. Zhao Di quickly stepped forward to support him. He turned to look at Zhao Di, and several afterimages swayed before his eyes. After calming himself down, he returned to normal.

Under Zhao Di's somewhat worried gaze, he slowly spoke: "I have indeed become a cultivator, but my strength is currently very weak." He gave a bitter smile, "Look, even using just this one spell has exhausted my strength."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Di asked anxiously, "How are you feeling? Should I take you to see the shaman?"

"No need." Ning Che felt a little better and steadied himself, saying, "You must never tell anyone that I've become a cultivator. Second Brother only has this one move, and I still faint after using it. It would be dangerous if others found out."

Zhao Di agreed without hesitation: "Yes, I understand—but do we really not need to ask the shaman? She's a very kind person; even if she knew, she definitely wouldn't tell anyone else."

"No need," Ning Che waved his hand and casually asked, "What are you doing in the woods so late?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Di reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, her eyes darting away, and she unconsciously bit her lower lip.

Seeing this, Ning Che didn't press the matter and comforted him, "I didn't mean you have to tell me the secret. It's okay if you don't want to answer."

"No, no!" Zhao Di hurriedly denied. She glanced at Ning Che and, seeing that his expression was normal, cautiously continued to explain, "I heard from Xiao Hu that you were going to join the hunting team, but the Ku Huo is coming soon, and we're afraid we won't have enough medicine. So I took it upon myself to go and gather some."

After saying that, she picked up the cloth bag that had been hanging on her side and was about to open it to show Ning Che.

Ning Che sighed softly and patted the back of her hand, saying, "I know you're worried about me, but it's too dangerous outside right now. At least call me when you go to dangerous places in the future, okay?"

Zhao Di's sparkling gaze met Ning Che's sharp, bright eyes, and she seemed to see the moonlight reflected in them.

The night is still light, and the moon cannot yet be seen here.

Zhao Di blushed and quickly looked away, her shoes unconsciously shuffling on the ground. Ning Che didn't notice these details; he picked up the money pouch he had thrown away earlier while working on the iron-flying sparrow, all the while calculating his family's spells.

This spell can actually command the Iron-Feathered Sparrow Demon; it truly lives up to its reputation as a Demon Lord. If used properly, it could become a trump card.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Di looked up somewhat awkwardly and started a conversation, asking Ning Che why he had come. Ning Che then snapped out of his reverie and said directly that he had come to see his mother.

The two prepared to split up to search, but as soon as they moved, the leaves on the trees beside them suddenly swayed, and a dark shadow flashed by.

Ning Che immediately realized what was happening, quickly approached, and shouted sharply, "Who!"

But only swaying branches and leaves remained; the dark figure had vanished with agility beyond human comprehension.

There seems to be no concept of martial arts masters in this world, so is someone who can run so fast a demon or a cultivator?

Zhao Di was still stunned when Ning Che explained the situation. She gave her guess: "It should be a demon. Seeing how powerful you are, scaring away the Iron Feather Sparrow Demon with a single spell, it doesn't dare to fight you anymore."

"Perhaps." Ning Che remained noncommittal. Despite this unexpected situation, they couldn't give up easily. Although they had doubts, they continued to search for Shi Xiujuan in the village.

After searching around for a while, they found that Ning Che's house was lit up. They pushed open the door and found that Shi Xiujuan had already returned home and was alone in the house, busy with something.

Having found the person, Ning Che bid farewell to Zhao Di. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the door, but ultimately closed it and turned to leave.

Shi Xiujuan harbors a significant secret, likely closely related to his future path in cultivation. He must uncover this secret eventually. However, this matter cannot be rushed. The most urgent task at hand is to quickly improve his cultivation and delve into that spell.

No matter what circumstances or changes you encounter in the future, only having sufficient personal strength is the safest reliance.